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At E3 2011, Microsoft made a vague but exciting announcement centered around “Xbox TV,” but the majority of the content they promised has yet to see the light of day on the Xbox 360. Instead, Redmond may be prepping an “Xbox LITE” that will ship alongside (or at least be unveiled alongside) the next-generation Xbox game console.

Several sources tell The Verge that this set-top box will run a version of Windows 8 (I’m guessing a variant of Windows RT), and will likely include access to more casual games, such as what is currently seen on the Windows Phone 8 store or certain areas of Xbox Live Arcade. The box will boot quickly and remain “always on” to provide speedy access to a suite of streaming video and TV options like Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, and Hulu Plus.

Microsoft could also exercise its negotiating power to strike license agreements with major network TV and cable providers as it has with Comcast and their XFINITY service.

Personally, I think Microsoft would drown under the weight of two new Xbox systems, an Xbox Surface, the Surface Pro, and an in-house Windows Phone 8 for 2013. That being said, a comprehensive hardware suite isn’t beyond the company’s resources and it certainly plays to their strengths. Plus, with the mainstream success the Xbox brand has enjoyed within both the gaming industry and entertainment industry, an “Xbox Next LITE” is a strong possibility.

This set-top box would be released before the 2013 holiday season, and likely will be announced at E3 2013.

I’ve reached out to Microsoft for an official comment, but the company has a policy of not commenting on rumors and speculation.

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An Xbox Lite, not sure how well that would run. The competition in that type of market is already quite enormous. You’ve got the Roku, Apple TV, and an ocean of main-brand streaming and media boxes from companies such as Sony, Samsung, Magnavox, and many others.

Microsoft is a big name, and they have a lot of weight with their Xbox brand, but I’m not sure if even that would be powerful enough to make people replace their already working boxes for this.

It really depends if the Xbox Lite could offer some key features that many current media/streaming boxes is lacking.

Once again, Microsoft shows up at the party (wearing Xbox Rules! shirts) and asks the janitor where the party is?

NOTE to Mr. Balmer: Please let the Xbox go and retire, the xBox’s best years are over. MS needs to reinvent itself soon and invest heavily in cloud technologies as cloud tech is the infrastructure for future technology. Although MS is late for that too because Google and Apple are already gobbling that up. People are streaming media on personal devices now. Our 51″ flat screen rarely gets watched anymore save for the occasional Netflix must-watch movie.

Wouldn’t it be nice if Microsoft just make an xbox with a modified version of windows on it which allows it to run all the same version of games that PCs can run and vice versa (and maybe even on the Windows tablets and phones?)? Make it the like PlayStation’s Cross-Buy feature but only better integrated.

The differences with games will be that the xbox has a preset setting for the games to maximize performance and graphics. And the developers have a choice to make the games specifically for all or just one of the four platforms (xbox, pc, tablet and phone) if they wish to. Either way, low development cost is always good for the developers.

Microsoft can then release a newer version of xbox with upgraded hardware and newer version of Direct X every year or every few years.

With newer version of the xbox, the users will get better graphics and performance, new features and whatever new tech they will throw at it. But the users with the older version of the Xbox can still play all the newest games (up to a certain point) while only making a small sacrifice on the gaming experience (i.e. graphics and maybe performance).

Microsoft can keep expanding their user base this way, and as for casual users, they can always play the newest games, but for the hardcore gamers they get to upgrade whenever they want for the best experience.

With many users starting to use computer monitors to play console games, if the Xbox can run Explorer, Office, Skype and most if not all the other 3rd party apps, then a lot of people might just buy an Xbox instead of a PC as their primary computer at home. Of course Microsoft gets to charge a fee for users who wish to unlock these PC like features on their xbox, perhaps it will work like the PlayStation Plus Service with more features.

Sure this is going to eat into the already shrinking PC market, but who needs “PCs” when u can run everything off the Xbox, hassle free??

It will help Microsoft transitioning itself into the new business model they are trying to establish, which is making their own hardware products like Apple, but at the same time license their softwares to OEMs. The professional and hardcore users will go for the OEM PCs like they always do, but for the rest of the casual users, they will just get an xbox.

It will save users money because you won’t need to pay (or maybe just not the full amount) for the same apps/contents you’ve bought before, and with everything in the cloud, and accessible through all the windows powered devices, what you will get is an highly integrated computing and gaming experience, anytime, anywhere.

As for Microsoft? While it will definitely help to expend and maintain their current user base, they will also make money on each of the hardwares sold plus licensing fees from OEMs and royalties on games, and on top of that, they get to charge a percentage on all the apps and contents sold through its online store (given that it will be the only way to get apps on xbox).

I’m just dreaming out loud, but this could be good for both Microsoft and the User.

I was just discussing this with Marcus Beer from GameTrailers on a podcast last night…Apple has proven that people will shell out between $300 and $500 every year for their new iterations on the iPad or iPhone, so couldn’t Microsoft do this with the Xbox at a lower price point? They absolutely could…

Something tells me Microsoft is the company “thinking different” about the next 5 to 10 years.

I enjoyed reading your dream, Morris :D Thanks for the comment and for stopping by.

Microsoft needs to concentrate on one thing at a time. I think the Xbox is definitely a cornerstone in their future, however their execution on all fronts has been sloppy… very sloppy. They need to establish the Xbox as THE console in the living room, they need a bigger app selection and continue to work deals with the big apps, and the Xbox needs to be able to multitask. I understand that they do not want a perceived PC in the living room, but with the release of Windows 8 it just makes more sense to bridge that gap in the living room.